Anna Nicole Judge May Get Show
By Jim Benson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/2/2007 1:56:00 AM
Judge Larry Seidlin plans meetings with producers
Judge Larry Seidlin, the colorful Florida jurist at the center of the recent media frenzy over the burial of Anna Nicole Smith, will be holding his first spate of face-to-face meetings with prospective court-show producers this week during a planned spring-break family visit to Los Angeles.
Although Seidlin's wife, Belinda, would confirm only that the couple was planning to take its young daughter to Disneyland, the 56-year-old judge lined up meetings with a variety of syndicators and networks.
According to reports following the Smith trial last month, he had been inundated with at least 200 phone inquiries from TV recruiters, including CBS' weekend Early Show, and publishers.
Overwhelmed by the sudden attention, say industry executives, Seidlin is being "advised" during his foray into Hollywood by two well-known industry figures: investigative reporter/producer Art Harris, a familiar face on CNN and Entertainment Tonight's Website, who has known Seidlin for years and covered the Smith trial extensively; and Judge Joe Brown Executive Producer John Terenzio. Neither could be reached for comment at press time.
According to industry executives, CBS Television Distribution (CTD), Warner Bros.' Telepictures unit and Fox's Twentieth Television, all of which are heavily into the court genre, have the best chances of landing Seidlin. They say Sony Pictures Television, which has three court shows, could also make a run.
In recent years, CTD has occasionally looked at expanding its court portfolio beyond Judge Judy and Joe Brown, which are ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively. But those projects never went ahead. Executives have said that they were waiting to grab a big name that would allow them to secure strong time periods. Twentieth also steered clear of the court this past year, and Warner Bros. abandoned a project called Celebrity Jury.
Studios have been in hot pursuit of Seidlin since the surreal trial ended in late February, when he awarded Smith's remains to her 5-month-old daughter, Dannielynn. Seidlin's oversize personality, one-liners, emotional outbursts and pleas to end the squabbling among the warring parties during the televised proceedings turned the probate judge into a household name. The dramatics, which those close to him say were nothing new, became a cable news staple for days, earning the judge adulation from the public and condemnation from legal experts.
The Website TMZ.com, which is co-owned by Time Warner's AOL and Telepictures, had reported that Seidlin was shopping an audition tape, fueling widespread speculation that he had been hamming it up on the bench to fetch his own show. But others say there never was a tape and blame the report on a local producer who had unsuccessfully sought to represent Seidlin. The producer had considered the idea of compiling footage of him from cameras in the courtroom, but those familiar with the matter say he never followed through.
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Oh bless that judge. I love that guy. It was great tv and it's nice to see a judge act like most people do. Like an idiot.
It's real life. And at least he didn't put on an act. I would watch his show every day if he gets one!
I wanna hear him talk more about his NYC taxi days! Feeding the birds when in the park when he retires!
I love it!
mike - 4/3/2007 12:14:00 AM EDT -
That guy isn't qualified to judge the Nathan's Hotdog eating contest!
Pat - 4/2/2007 10:37:00 PM EDT -
It is truly amazing to me, as a professional photojournalist and writer, that I have been unemployed for six months after 38 years in the field---when some people are on TV and get scouted out for crying in public?
Something is wrong with this world.
Rochelle Riservato - 4/2/2007 2:13:00 PM EDT -
I think it would be wrong to offer that idiot anything. I think he should have been removed from the court room & not allowed to oversee the case of Anna Nicole. The way he acted was some of the worst acting I have ever seen. If he gets a show I will never watch it & I have have a lot of friends that feel the same way. I hope people boycot the show & the ratings drop so fast the network loses millions on him.
Deborah Cruse - 4/2/2007 10:33:00 AM EDT
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